Do not let your potted plant dry out. The bamboo plants that we sell have well established root systems and are ready to be planted in the ground. If you are unable to plant your bamboo in the ground immediately, check the plant daily to ensure that the soil is not dry. Purchase a good quality potting soil. The best soil for a bamboo plant is a light soil that contains a lot of peat and other organic matter. Since bamboo plants like good water drainage, a soil that contains vermiculite is good.
Planting Bamboo
Dig a hole that is at least twice the diameter of the pot and is about 50% deeper than the pot. The larger the diameter of the hole the better. If your soil is sandy, remove the sandy soil from the hole and set aside.
Place some dry potting soil into the bottom of the hole and pack it firmly. Remove the bamboo plant from the pot and plant it to a depth so that the soil level of the plant is the same as the surrounding ground. Firmly pack potting soil around the plant, filling up the hole to the level of the surrounding ground.
Using some of the sandy soil removed from the hole, create a donut-shaped mound of earth, a few inches high, all around the plant at the edge of the filled hole. This will help retain the water around the plant when you water the plant.
Watering Bamboo
Bamboo plants, like most plants, enjoys a good, thorough watering, when the surface soil begins to get a little dry.
Potted Bamboo: Be sure to check daily for dryness in the surface soil of your potted plant and water it when the surface soil begins to feel a little dry. The surest way to kill a potted bamboo plant is to let it dry out.
Bamboo in the Ground: Water the newly planted bamboo until the soil becomes saturated and the water begins to back up to a depth of an inch. Repeat this several times over the next several hours, to ensure that all of the potting soil has absorbed water and that any air trapped in the hole has bubbled up to the surface.
Water the newly planted bamboo every day for the first week or two as needed. After that, let the surface of the soil just begin to dry before watering.
*** IF THE LEAVES OF THE BAMBOO CURL UP – WATER IMMEDIATELY ***
Feeding Bamboo
Use a good quality, time-released, high nitrogen fertilizer, such as Lesco 13-3-13 time release Palm and Ornamental fertilizer. If you are planting between Oct. – Dec., you may apply a small amount of fertilizer and then do not fertilize again until February. From Feb. – Sept. you may apply fertilizer liberally. Bamboo enjoys a lot a food during the growing season. You can also put mulch around the plant. Bamboo plants like mulch.